DOWN WITH

Doesn’t matter what you are talking about I imagine, when you mention down it isn’t a good thing. I don’t suppose it was expected to be. All I know is if some sentence or slogan starts out with the words “down with” you can be pretty much guaranteed it won’t end with a praise of any kind.

It is kind of said in a way isn’t it? That we probably are most used to seeing protest signs and protest bummer stickers than the praise kind. Unless you are talking about the religious types associated with some given religion. They seem either to want to brag about their god or tell you if you don’t agree with them how you are going to hell or a reasonable damnation facsimile. I couldn’t resist tossing in that substitute jargon since it always appears to be hinted at with the religious bumper stickers.

I just can’t help wonder for myself about how there is benefit in all the down with approach. Isn’t the first assumption when you read one of those slogans to question why the person thinks you are somehow ignorant of that reality. Like none of us knows about how there are evil corporations out their raping the environment and economy or maybe even the world?

Still it is almost like if they say it that will somehow improve the problem. Or perhaps by saying it that means they feel they have personally done something about it. It is sort of like the idea is “hey don’t blame me because the world is screwed up. I did my part to help keep it from getting that way. Which is why I have this bumper sticker on my car!”

Nice sentiment I guess. Not even close to realistic if you ask me. But it apparently works for the bumper stick dudes.

You see those ones about some parent who is proud they kid is a brain because he or she is an honor student at their school. Is the parent trying to hog the glory or what? Or you see the reverse about how MY kid can beat up your honor student. Isn’t that really just another slant on the whole down with thing only perhaps by adding a little pride along the way?

It sure seems that way to me. However I doubt it will change anything. So go ahead and scream it with a bumper sticker. And keep on telling yourself that just because you bought in the mall where they already sold a thousand just like it that somehow it still qualifies as being an individual or creative.

We each are entitled to our own brand of denial. It can be fun if we work it right. Along the way maybe we find a down with that is actually different from all the ones that have been done to death.

If not then we can go ahead anyway. Who knows, perhaps we’ll get somebody distracted enough by our bumper sticker that they will end up having an accident. That will keep another jerk off the road for a little while.